Retirement Blog: Panama’s Day At The Denist

Panama’s Day at the Denist

Before leaving for Panama, I completed a dental check up.  Nothing major was considered necessary.  My teeth were cleaned and old filling replaced.  Everything else checked out.

While a taking a bite of a sandwich at Multiplaza, I felt a sharp pain as a tooth broke.  The entire front enamel section of incisor chipped off the tooth, leaving the entire inside and the nerve of the tooth exposed!   Even worst it was New Years Eve.  Not a single dentist was open for the next couple days.  So, I sat with a half broken tooth and a steady supply of Advil. There was nothing else to do.

My next realization was that I did not know a dentist in Panama.  But I did know Mary.  She is another retiree in Panama and a maven of information.   Surely, she had a couple of names.  However, before I had a chance to contact her names, my taxi driver Blas made an appointment for me.  We were off with the dentist waiting.

We arrived at small dentist office.  It was tucked away in a strip mall in El Dorado.  Within minutes of arriving, I was seated in a dentist’s chair and greeted by Dr. Katarzyna de Sanchez.  She was assisted by a pleasant young male dental assistant.  They completed an  examination of all of my teeth and quickly determined that the broken tooth had become infected and would require a root canal.  The immediate steps were to seal off exposed surface, treat the infection, and eliminate the pain.  Mission accomplished.  I left with prescriptions and a sealant surrounding the tooth with instructions to not bite on that side of my mouth and keep to soft foods — a wonderful excuse to eat Granclement ice cream.  Holding my breath, I went with the doctor to the desk for the bill.  My hour with her was $100.  The next appointment was set.

I had 2 more appointments with Dr. Sanchez to complete the work on the root canal and build a semi-permanent cap for the tooth. Total cost of all the work done $320.  Her suggestion is that I have a porcelain crown put on the tooth.  I have decided to do that but since I am returning for a visit to Seattle, to see if my dental insurance will cover the expense.  What I am certain of, however, is the work done to date even with my insurance would have cost more than $320.

Cost, of course, is not the only consideration for dental care.  Much more important is the quality of care.  The most pleasant surprise was that I received quality care.  Dr. Sanchez spoke more than enough English for me to understand what I needed to know.  She made the entire process painless.  The temporary cap construction looks so much like a real tooth that it is undetectable.  Indeed that experience is more than enough to consider cancelling my dental insurance and opted for dental work in Panama.  Who would have guessed?

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